Leather shaving machine

ABSTRACT

A leather hide shaving machine including laterally extending leather shaving means and laterally extending conveyor means subjacent the shaving means substantially coextensive therewith for conveying hides away from the shaving means to a point remote from the hide feed point for subsequent transport to other types of leather processing machines. To circumvent contamination of a shaved hide by shaving debris precipitated during the shaving operation and accumulated on the conveyor means, a conveyor according to the present invention comprises a plurality of shafts each fixedly supporting a plurality of laterally spaced discs the peripheries of which support the hide during transport away from the shaving means but permit leather debris from the shaving means to fall through the lateral spaces between the discs.

[ 51 May 16, 1972 Primary ExaminerAlfred R. Guest Att0rneyCarl C. Batz and Francis W. Young [57] ABSTRACT A leather hide shaving machine including laterally extending leather shaving means and laterally extending conveyor means subjacent the shaving means substantially coextensive therewith for conveying hides away from the shaving means to a point remote from the hide feed point for subsequent trans- Unlted States Patent Schwaller et al.

[54] LEATHER SHAVING MACHINE [72] Inventors: Lando J. Schwaller; Albert J. Razal, both of Sheboygan, Wis.

[73] Assignee: Akzona Incorporated, Asheville, NC.

[22] Filed: May 15, 1970 [2l] Appl.No.: 37,732

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LEATHER SHAVING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to leather hide or side shaving machines and more particularly to shaving machines equipped with conveyors for removal of hides therefrom.

I-Ieretofore, the usual operation of conventional leather hide or side shaving machines has required that a hide be fed into the front of the machine for the shaving operation after which the hide is returned to the machine operator for manual removal and transfer. Although such conventional machines have been generally acceptable in the performance of the shaving function, per se, the design thereof has not lent itself to labor saving techniques, such as conveyorization, without reduction in the quality of the resultant product because of contamination by shaving debris accumulation on the hide being processed.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION It is a general object of the present invention to provide a leather hide shaving machine that circumvents or minimizes the problems heretofore noted. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide a leather hide shaving machine which permits automated hide removal and transfer without contamination of a shaved hide by accumulated particles of debris precipitated by the shaving operation.

In achieving these and other objects as will become apparent hereinafter, the present invention provides a leather hide shaving machine including laterally extending leather shaving means and a laterally extending conveyor means subjacent the shaving means and substantially laterally coextensive therewith for conveying hides away from the shaving means. Of particular significance, is the aspect of the present invention wherein the conveying means comprises a plurality of laterally spaced support surfaces for supporting the hide during transport away from the shaving means but permitting leather debris from the shaver to fall through the lateral spaces between the supporting surfaces thereby circumventing contamination ofthe hides by the debris.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In describing the present invention, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings from a part of the instant disclosure wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic elevational view of a shaving machine including a conveyor system according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view of a portion of the conveyor system shown in FIG. I; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic fragmentary elevational view of a drive arrangement for the conveyor system shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring in more detail to FIG. 1 of the drawings, shown therein is a generally conventional leather hide or side continuous hydraulic shaving machine of the type manufactured by Rizzi. Such shaving machines generally comprises a rectangular housing 12 provided with a forward feed opening 14 for feeding leather hides or sides to a shaving assembly 16. The shaving assembly generally comprises a feed board 18 moveable with a rotatably mounted steel roller 20 in a forwardly direction from the position shown in FIG. 1 towards the feed opening 14 to facilitate placement of a hide to be shaved between the steel roller 20 and a feed roller 22. These rollers cooperate with a bladed shaving cylinder 24 whereby upon inward movement of the steel roller, the shaving cylinder 24 functions to shave particles from the flesh side of a hide or side.

Conventional operation of such machines has heretofore required that an operator manually remove the hide from the shaving machine and transfer it to a feeding point for a machine performing the next step in the desired leather processing. Provision of conveyor means for performance of this removal and transfer function has been problematical because of the likelihood of contamination of freshly shaved hides by shaving particles precipitated by the shaving operation accumulating on the conveyor means.

To circumvent labor requirements incurred by manual hide removal and transfer from the shaving machine, and to minimize the possibility of contamination of the type heretofore discussed, the present invention provides a conveyor system 30, the details of which will now be discussed.

The conveyor system 30 generally comprises an upper conveyor section 32 of a specialized construction for receiving and removing a hide directly from the shaving cylinder 24 and for directing the same in a downward and forward direction to a lower conveyor section 34 of a similar construction. The lower section 34 directs the hides in a downward and rearward direction to a generally conventional conveyor 35 of any suitable type, such as an endless belt conveyor, for directing the hide through a discharge opening 37 to a remote machine for performing any desired subsequent step in leather processing.

The upper conveyor section 32 comprises a pair of laterally spaced end support members 36 and 38, the upper ends 39 of which extend to a point directly subjacent the shaving cylinder 24 and the lower ends 40 of which are fixedly but releaseably pivotally mounted on a pivot point 42 fixedly positioned within the housing 12. In this manner angular orientation of the upper section 32 relative to the shaving cylinder 24 may be adjusted. Rotatably mounted in spaced relation between the end members 36 and 38 are first, second and third conveyor shafts 44, 46 and 48. Fixedly mounted along the first and second shafts 44 and 46 and spaced at 1 inch intervals are a plurality of circular discs 49 constructed of plastic or the like, the outer peripheries of which are smooth and adapted to support and convey freshly shaved hides. The outer peripheries of the discs 49 on the first shaft 44 project between the outer peripheries of the discs 49 on the second shaft 46. The number of discs depends upon the width of the shaving cylinder. In the instant embodiment, 60 such discs are provided on each of the first and second shafts. The third shaft 48 fixedly mounts 30 such discs on 2 inch centers so that the peripheries thereof project between alternate pairs of discs on the second shaft.

The lower conveyor section 34 is generally similar in construction to the upper section 32 but is adapted to change the direction of a hide being conveyed by directing the same to the rear of the machine. The lower section 34 comprises a fourth or offset shaft 50 and a plurality of subjacent aligned shafts 52 all of which are rotatably mounted in a pair of end support members 54 mounted within the housing 12 generally at right angles with the end members 36, 38 of the first section 32. The ofi'set shaft 50 has mounted thereon a plurality of plastic discs 49 identical to the disc of the third shaft and which are spaced on 2 inch centers. The outer peripheries of the disc 49 on the offset shaft 50 are spaced from the peripheries of the discs of the third shaft 48. The aligned shafts 52 similarly mount a plurality of discs 49, the peripheries of which project between the peripheries of discs on adjacent shafts.

Referring to FIG. 3, a drive for the conveyor system 30 is provided such that the discs of the upper conveyor section 32 are rotated in a clockwise direction and the disc of the lower section 34 are rotated in a counterclockwise direction. The drive comprises an electric motor 54, or the like, adapted to drive through a sprocket 56 and chain 58 supported on a plurality of idler sprockets 60, a conveyor shaft sprocket 62 mounted on one end of each of the disc support shafts 44, 46, 48, 50 and 52. An adjustable chain tightening sprocket 64 is provided to facilitate chain tension adjustment as required.

To minimize possibilities of shaving particle debris contamination of freshly shaved hides, upper and lower debris deflection shields 66 and 68 are provided. The upper deflection shield 66 is vertically oriented immediately below the shaving cylinder 24 and projects below the upper end of the first section 32. The second deflection shield 68 includes a deflection plate 70, the upper end 71 of which projects to a point adjacent the third shaft 48 and is interposed between the discs 49 thereon and the discs 49 on the offset shaft 50 and the aligned shafts 52. Mechanically connected to the lower end of the deflection plate 70 is a mechanical vibrator 72 of any suitable type adapted to be driven to vibrate the plate 70 to induce collection of debris on the lower end thereof for convenient removal through an access opening 74 in the rear of the housing 12.

Operation of a shaving machine according to the present invention is as follows. An operator positions himself to a platform 76 located to facilitate feeding of hides as received from a splitting machine or the like to feed the same into the shaving machine 10. The operator actuates a suitable control to move the feed board 18 and the steel roller 20 in a forwardly direction to facilitate placement of hide between the steel roller 20 and feed roller 22. Upon closing or rearward movement of the roller 20, a hide is shaved by the shaving cylinder 24 and directed in a downwardly direction to the upper conveyor section 32 of the conveyor system 30. The upper section conveys the freshly shaved hides in a forwardly and downwardly direction until the hide contacts the discs on the ofi'set shaft 50 at which time it is redirected downwardly and rearwardly along the peripheries of the discs 49 on the aligned shafts 52 of the lower section 34 until it is deposited on the conveyor 35 for transport to machines performing other phases of the leather treatment process.

It will be seen that debris from the shaving cylinder 24 is free to fall between the discs of the upper section 32 to be collected by the upper end of the deflection plate 70 without accumulation on the upper conveyor section and without falling through to contaminate hides being conveyed by lower section 34. Any particle of debris which happens to fall on the relatively narrow, smooth peripheries of the discs are likely to be displaced by slight lateral movement of the hide relative to the disc periphery during transport.

While the present invention has been described with reference to but a single embodiment, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various substitutions and modifications thereof may be made which fall into the scope of the present invention to be ascertained by reference to the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a leather hide shaving machine including leather shaving means adapted to shave a hide and deliver the same in a generally vertical disposition after shaving, and conveyor means beneath said shaving means for conveying hides away from said machine, the improvement comprising second conveyor means receiving hides from said shaving means for delivering them to said first conveyor means, said second conveyor means comprising a plurality of laterally spaced support surfaces for supporting a hide received from said shaving means while permitting leather debris from the shaving means to fall through the lateral spaces between the support surfaces and including an upper conveyor section adapted to receive a hide from said shaving means for transporting said hide downwardly and in a first lateral direction therefrom, and a lower conveyor section receiving hides from said upper conveyor section for transporting them further downwardly and in an opposite lateral direction onto said first conveyor means, thereby to avoid contamination of the hides by accumulated debris.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said support surfaces are the circumferential surfaces of circular discs mounted for rotation about axes extending transverse of the direction of transportation of the hides, said system further including power means for rotating said discs.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a debris collecting tray located above said second conveyor section of said second conveyor means and beneath said first conveyor section thereof for collecting debris falling through said first con veyor section and preventing said debris from falling onto a hide being transported on said second conveyor section.

The system of claim 1 wherein each of said first and second conveyor sections includes a plurality of shafts having discs mounted thereon, said shafts extending transverse of the direction of travel of said hides, the outer peripheries of said discs being said supporting surfaces, and wherein the discs of each of said sections rotate in opposite directions, thereby to reverse hides emanating from said shaving means.

5. The system of claim 3 further comprising means for vibrating said collection tray whereby debris thereon will flow under gravity and be collected at the bottom thereof. 

1. In a leather hide shaving macHine including leather shaving means adapted to shave a hide and deliver the same in a generally vertical disposition after shaving, and conveyor means beneath said shaving means for conveying hides away from said machine, the improvement comprising second conveyor means receiving hides from said shaving means for delivering them to said first conveyor means, said second conveyor means comprising a plurality of laterally spaced support surfaces for supporting a hide received from said shaving means while permitting leather debris from the shaving means to fall through the lateral spaces between the support surfaces and including an upper conveyor section adapted to receive a hide from said shaving means for transporting said hide downwardly and in a first lateral direction therefrom, and a lower conveyor section receiving hides from said upper conveyor section for transporting them further downwardly and in an opposite lateral direction onto said first conveyor means, thereby to avoid contamination of the hides by accumulated debris.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein said support surfaces are the circumferential surfaces of circular discs mounted for rotation about axes extending transverse of the direction of transportation of the hides, said system further including power means for rotating said discs.
 3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a debris collecting tray located above said second conveyor section of said second conveyor means and beneath said first conveyor section thereof for collecting debris falling through said first conveyor section and preventing said debris from falling onto a hide being transported on said second conveyor section.
 4. The system of claim 1 wherein each of said first and second conveyor sections includes a plurality of shafts having discs mounted thereon, said shafts extending transverse of the direction of travel of said hides, the outer peripheries of said discs being said supporting surfaces, and wherein the discs of each of said sections rotate in opposite directions, thereby to reverse hides emanating from said shaving means.
 5. The system of claim 3 further comprising means for vibrating said collection tray whereby debris thereon will flow under gravity and be collected at the bottom thereof. 